Jessica Farris Salonus

Ms. Salonus is an Employment and Special Education attorney serving clients throughout Tennessee.

Ms. Salonus zealously represents employees in array of employment matters including cases of age discrimination under the ADEA; leave issues or interference under the FMLA; disability discrimination, retaliation, and failure to accommodate claims under the ADA; discrimination and retaliation under Title VII; and wrongful terminations arising from reporting illegal activities. Ms. Salonus also has an interest in litigating cases involving denial of employee life insurance benefits or interference with pension plan benefits under ERISA.

While she very much enjoys assisting employees and “righting a wrong,” as they say, or assisting employers with legal compliance to prevent claims or illegal treatment of employees, her biggest passion comes from assisting families of children with disabilities in the school environment.

Ms. Salonus has a personal understanding of what it means to be a parent of a child with a disability. Accordingly, Ms. Salonus has an active and dedicated practice securing the services and accommodations a child rightfully deserves under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (“IDEA”), Section 504, and/or the ADA. She also seeks compensation for physical and/or emotional injuries caused to a child as a result of abuse or illegal actions taken against the child by school officials. Additionally, Ms. Salonus litigates cases involving retaliation against parents or teachers who advocate for the rights of children with disabilities.

Cases

Some recent case law contributions in the area of special education by Ms. Salonus include:

L.H. v. Hamilton Cnty. Dep't of Educ., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153322, *2 (E.D. Tenn. Nov. 4, 2016) (bench trial with judge finding school’s proposed removal of a second grade child with Down syndrome from the general education classroom at his neighborhood school into a comprehensive development classroom ("CDC") at his non-neighborhood school was more restrictive than necessary)

C.G. v. Cheatham Cty, 2015 U.S. Dist. Lexis 77134 (M.D. Tenn 2015) (retaliation against child and parents of child with severe allergies, under Section 504 and the ADA, does not require exhaustion of administrative remedies);

L.H. v. Hamilton County Dep’t of Educ., 2015 U.S. Dist. Lexis 55103 (E.D. Tenn. 2015) (the State may be sued for violating rights of child with Down syndrome in county school system);

Cockrill v. Metro Gov’t, 2015 U.S. Dist. Lexis 3180 (M.D. Tenn. 2015) (special education teacher properly brought claims of retaliation against school when she fought for rights of children with special needs);

Grummons v. Williamson County Bd of Educ., 2014 U.S. Dist. Lexis 51983 (M.D. Tenn. 2014) (Department of Children’s Services must disclose all documents to parents relating to any alleged retaliation by school system).

Ms. Salonus works hard for her clients to obtain favorable settlements and avoid lengthy litigation whenever possible. For example, she has helped obtain a $200,000 settlement in a single-plaintiff First Amendment retaliation and ADA failure to accommodate case; a $150,000 settlement for a couple who was terminated after reporting illegal activity; a $127,000 settlement in a single-plaintiff disability discrimination claim; a $300,000 settlement in a single-plaintiff ERISA violation; and a $75,000 single-plaintiff settlement in a FMLA retaliation case. Additionally, she has recently assisted in obtaining numerous six-figure settlements for damages incurred by public school-children and their parents.

Educational Background and Bar Admissions:

Ms. Salonus attended Louisiana State University on a full academic scholarship, graduating with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management. While at LSU, Ms. Salonus was a member and Vice President of Finance of the Delta Gamma sorority. She then received her law degree from the University of Memphis, where she also graduated with honors.

While in law school, Ms. Salonus was awarded the Dean’s Award for Excellence for Best Appellate Brief and CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Legal History and Juvenile Law. She was also the recipient of the Sam A. Myar, Jr. Law Scholarship, Kathryn Hookanson Law Fellowship, and Donald & Susie Polden Dean’s Scholarship. In addition, Ms. Salonus was a member and the Managing Editor of the University of Memphis Law Review.

Ms. Salonus is admitted to practice before the Tennessee Supreme Court, all Tennessee trial and appellate courts, and the United States District Court for the Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of Tennessee.

Additionally, Ms. Salonus was an Associate Member of the Howell Edmunds Jackson American Inn of Court from 2012-2014 as well as a member of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Leadership Law Class of 2015.

Ms. Salonus is also an avid supporter of the Jackson Symphony, serving on their Board of Directors and Audience Advancement Committee.

Other

Ms. Salonus resides in Jackson, Tennessee with her husband, Graham, and two little boys, Grey and Jack. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family golfing, boating on Kentucky Lake, and supporting the Tennessee Titans and LSU Tigers.

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139 Stonebridge Blvd

Jackson, TN38305

Phone: (731) 300-0970

We serve clients throughout Western and Middle Tennessee including those in the following localities: Madison County including Jackson; Bedford County including Shelbyville; Davidson County including Antioch, Goodlettsville, Hermitage, Madison, Nashville, and Old Hickory; Dyer County including Dyersburg; Henderson County including Lexington; Henry County including Paris; Rutherford County including Murfreesboro; Shelby County including Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Cordova, Germantown, Memphis, and Millington; Williamson County including Brentwood and Franklin; and Wilson County including Lebanon.